Defining Three Windows to Display Topics

Defining Three Windows to Display Topics

In the RoboHelp Project Manager, open the Windows virtual folder and create three new windows, as shown in Figure 3. You can look under the hood and review specifics in the downloadable project itself to see precisely how this is done.

Figure 3. Windows virtual folder in the Project Manager

The Help link at the top of each page of the application will display help in a two-pane window with a TOC/Index/Search pane (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. WithNavPane window showing the full navigation pane

The Tip link will display the field-level topic in a minimalist pop-up window (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. NoNavPane window showing no menus or buttons

For the FieldLevel window to be cross-browser compatible, it is a good practice to include a Close This Window button to ensure that the help window does not fall behind the main window.

The Show Me link directs users to Captivate demos or simulations, which open in a sized window (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. ClickMove window showing topics with animation

Notice that the included sample RoboHelp project has two single-source layouts: one for window-level output (MainHelp) and one for field-level output (FieldLevel). The main reason for this is to provide more detailed information in window-level output to exclude from the field-level version, along with the Close This Window button.